Bay Mills man sentenced for assaulting 8 year old girl
MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN —Jay Emerson Hunter, 22, a member of the Bay Mills Indian Community, was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison for aggravated sexual abuse of a child under 12, U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Miles, Jr. announced today. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge R. Allan Edgar ordered Hunter to serve five years of supervised release following his release from prison and to pay a $100 special assessment.
Upon release from prison, Hunter will be required to register as a sexual offender.
On May 14, 2012, Hunter pleaded guilty to Count 1 of a federal indictment charging him with aggravated sexual abuse of a child under 12. The charge stemmed from an incident at a residence in Brimley, Michigan on the Bay Mills Indian Community reservation between Fall 2010 and Spring 2011.
During this incident, Hunter, who was babysitting the 8 year-old victim, sexually assaulted her. The incident came to light in June 2011 when the victim told another babysitter what had happened to her. During the investigation, Hunter admitted to sexually assaulting the victim on three separate occasions.
The Bay Mills Indian Community Tribal Police and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul D. Lochner and Maarten Vermaat prosecuted the case.